Migration in the European Union

EUROPE DIRECT

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86, .. 532 00, & FAX: 23860 24141, e-mail: amyntaio@europedirect.gr

The European Union has historically attracted millions of immigrants.

Most of them come legally, but there are some who donot. Immigration
is both an opportunity and a challenge for Europe.Legal immigrants are needed to fill gaps in the EU labour force, asthe EUs own population grows older and its birth rate declines. However, the EU needs to curb illegal immigration and cooperatewith other countries to arrange the return of irregular immigrants ona voluntary basis. The EU also has a duty to protect genuine asylumseekersfleeing persecution or serious harm. The aim of Europeanleaders is to devise a common strategy, to help each country to copewith the challenges and to benefit from the opportunities.

This is why they have agreed on a European Pact on Migration and Asylum.

A tradition ofopenness
Immigration in the EU is, and willremain, a fact of life. Immigrantsform part of the economic andcultural fabric of the EuropeanUnion. They are present at all levelsof the labour force, filling gaps that natives cannot fill. These includehighly-skilled IT specialists,nurses and other healthcare professionals,as well as workers carryingout tasks that EU citizens nolonger want to do. Each EU state is free to identify the number and type of immigrant workers it needs and to issue their work and residence permits. The host countries are then responsible for integrating the immigrants and their families into their new country. However, immigration is a sensitive issue. The EU and its members agree that it requires both careful management and more cooperation.

Freedom of movement for EU citizens

Every EU citizen has the right to live and work in any other EU country. This is one of the most tangible benefits of EU membership that its citizens enjoy. For some, this has involved moving from poorer countries to wealthier ones, generally in north-west Europe, to benefit from higher wages and better living conditions. But this is not a

one-way street. Many migrants have chosen to move in the other direction,
particularly when they retire. They swap the harsher climate of the North Sea or the Baltic for the milder shores of the Mediterranean. Until recently, relatively few EU citizens moved abroad. But economic migration from east to west increased after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements because of the wealth gap between the poorest newcomers and the rest of the Union. The wealthiest regions of the 27-nation EU were nine times richer than the poorest ones and had job vacancies to fill. Migrants from Poland and the Baltic states headed for Germany, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, while Romanians, for cultural and linguistic reasons, sought work in Italy and Spain.

Freedom of movement for EU citizens

But the trend has slowed. With the economic crisis in 2009 there are fewer vacant jobs in the target countries. But it is also because the richpoor gap

between old and new EU countries is decreasing, encouraging some migrants to

return home. A number of EU countries initially limited the inflow of workers from new members but these temporary restrictions are gradually being removed.

Legal immigration is in all our interests

The EU needs additional workers from outside. They are vital for ensuring economic growth and prosperity. They will become even more so in coming years, as the EUs population grows older and the workforce shrinks. This ageing is a long-term trend that must be addressed even if unemployment goes up during the economic crisis in 2009.

Immigrants, particularly skilled immigrants, will play

a significant role in maintaining high employment

levels, doing essential jobs and helping to fund pensions for the rising number of senior citizens.

Legal immigration is in all our interests

Two-way benefits
The flow of migrants to the EU also benefits the countries from which they come. Workers sending money home can make a considerable contribution to family incomes, and indirectly to state revenues; they are highly relevant, for instance, in some west African countries like Ghana, Senegal and Mali. Emigration to Europe can also act as a safety valve by reducing local unemployment and easing potential social tensions, especially amongst jobless young people.

Returning immigrants bring back with them skills and knowledge which
become available for the home country.

A little can go a long way

A programme in the Italian city of Turin, with an annual budget of only 120 000, helped launch nearly 500 new companies run by immigrants between 2000 and 2007. Most were in the construction and services sectors. The survival rate two years on was more than 85 %.
Run by the local office of the National Confederation for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (CNA), the programme offered a series of services. They included improving immigrants business and management skills, enhancing their access to finance, and helping them deal with local legal, administrative and fiscal requirements. It also provided advice on insurance and contracts, and offered courses in business Italian. The success of the programme has led to it being replicated nationwide, with 25 provincial CNA offices across Italy offering

Reducing illegal immigration

Reducing irregular immigration into the European Union is a priority task. Due to the nature of the phenomenon, precise figures are not available. The European Commission estimates that there are at least 4.5 million illegal immigrants spread across the EU. Other sources suggest higher figures. Construction, agriculture, domestic work, cleaning and catering are the economic sectors where most illegally residing immigrants find work. EU countries have agreed rules to counter the effect that the availability of illegal work plays in attracting illegal immigrants to them. These include preventive measures, sanctions against employers and an obligation for national authorities to improve their labour

inspections.

Reducing illegal immigration

Each year, the authorities in EU countries apprehend about 500.000 illegal immigrants on their territory. About 40 % of them are sent back to their home country or to the country from which they travelled to the EU. The EUs aim is to develop an integrated border management strategy which makes it easier for legitimate tourists and other shortstay visitors to enter.

Action is also under way to make it more difficult for immigrants to enter the
EU illegally by using information technology and biometric features (e.g.fingerprints) for identification. But these are longer-term projects.

Asylum: a duty to protect

The aim is to create a truly common European asylum
system, which guarantees asylum-seekers the same treatment and level of protection throughout the EU. This will

be achieved by raising common protection standards,

enhancing practical cooperation among national asylum administrations and supporting solidarity between EU

countries and between the EU and third countries. Priority

treatment will also be given to vulnerable refugees such as women and children.

Looking forward
Immigration is and will remain one of the top 10 preoccupations of European citizens. EU leaders are responding to these concerns. At a summit meeting in October 2008, they adopted a new European Pact on Immigration and Asylum. In the pact, EU leaders signed up to five political commitments:

Integration will be encouraged. Irregular immigrants will be repatriated to their home country or sent to a country of transit. Border controls at the EUs external frontiers will be made more effective. An EU-wide framework will be created for handling asylumseekers. The Union will seek partnerships with countries of origin and transit to promote the two-way benefits of immigration

Thank you
for your attention! ! !

EUROPE DIRECT

.
86, .. 532 00, & FAX: 23860 24141, e-mail: amyntaio@europedirect.gr